Do you have to move out of your current home but haven’t purchased a new one? Living in temporary housing while you wait to find or finish your next house can create a stressful situation for many. One thing that helps reduce stress during this time is the smart use of storage space. How can this make things easier? Discover five ways.
1. Don’t Feel Obligated to Purge
Many professionals recommend that you purge as much as possible before a big move. However, this can add its own stress. Some people may find the task of trying to sort through everything too physically demanding during a chaotic time. Or the emotional toll of both a move with many details still up in the air and the idea of letting go of your belongings could be too much.
If you’re stressed by the prospect of sorting through years’ worth of stuff and making permanent decisions, don’t force the issue. You will have more opportunities to sort through and purge things when you do finally get in your permanent home. In the meantime, store your things. The added cost of storing or moving these things isn’t usually much more to handle.
2. Organize Storage for Access
When you don’t have a permanent home to move into, storage becomes a crucial component of your life. You may need to get into that stuff many times during its storage. And if you’ll use a smaller temporary space than you normally would live in (such as an apartment or suite), you might use storage as an overflow or annex site.
Choose the organization methods that are the most logical and intuitive for you. Start with a few common tips, such as using uniform box sizes to promote accessible stacking. Create a labeling system that is thorough enough to help identify specific goods in boxes and is highly visible. Some homeowners use color coding or group items by use or room. And create a master contents list to keep inside the unit.
3. Help Maintain Routines
Routines help people feel at home, no matter what their current circumstances. Proper use of storage areas helps you keep routines. For instance, if you organize the storage unit to ensure the holiday decorations or summer outdoor gear is accessible, the family can enjoy their normal activities despite being in a strange housing situation.
Think about what routines you want to maintain and what you need to do them. Then, consider how to use the storage area to facilitate these. Can you rotate seasonal items in and out of your temporary home? Can the kids keep more of their belongings accessible to enjoy? Might you indulge in some shopping for the new house, knowing you have the space? Whatever your interests, extra space can help.
4. Boost Your Moving Budget
When most homeowners move, they try to keep moving expenses as low as possible. But when your living situation is in flux, a good way to reduce stress over it is to have more funds to compensate.
For instance, you may need to pay movers to move your stuff into a storage unit and then again into your new house. You may need to move stuff into both the storage unit and your temporary home — and then again when you buy. You may even find that you want to change your plans of what to keep and what to store once you move into temporary housing.
Add in the budget to make these changes or hire help with the additional steps. When you know the money is already factored in, you can use the services you need to achieve good mental well-being and also make alterations to your plan without blowing your budget.
5. Choose Convenient Locations
Because you may need plenty of access to stored belongings, convenience is key. So choose a storage area that will be most convenient for the longest period you’re between homes. This is often in the community where you plan to eventually move. For many still shopping for a permanent home, this area and their temporary housing location will be close enough to make both accessible to the same storage unit.
However, if your temporary housing is far away from your final destination, you may want to store items closer to it for long-term convenience during this time. Depending on your budget, you may even choose to move your stuff closer to you more than once during the transition.
The best way to plan your use of storage while waiting to buy a new house is to tour facilities in your target location. Twin Cities families can rely on North Star Mini Storage to help them reduce their worries, no matter what moving hassles they face. Stop by or call today to learn more about our storage options.